How to Cut Your Own Hair (Men)

If you like to keep your hair short and save some money, the idea of cutting your own hair has probably already cross your mind. It can save you time and money. But how do you go about doing this without making some blunder that can keep you indoors for weeks?

In what follow, I’m going to show you how to cut hair like a professional, in the comfort of your own home.

Unlike clothing where you can experiment, cutting your own hair is something you nee to pay a lot of attention. The good news is that, although it will seem difficult at first, you’ll get the hang of it after doing it for 3 or 4 times.

The first thing to consider is how long your hair is right now. Is it short, medium or long?

The second thing is how long you would want it to be. If this is your first time, go for something simple: cut your hair only a little bit shorter. This way, if you make a mistake, you’ll have plenty of hair length to fix it.

OK, now that you know what you want, it’s time to gather your tools. You will need:

a big mirror

a pair of scissors

an electric clipper

(optional) someone to assist you the first time

good lightning

a standing mirror (set it up such that you can see the back of your head through the wall mirror)

Now that you have all of these, don’t just rush into cutting your hair! You need to wash it first so it cuts better. After that, comb it straight.

And if you don’t want to wash your hair (though I recommend it), you will still need a spray bottle full of water. Damp hair is a lot easier to cut, especially if it’s thick.

Using scissors (for medium and long hair)

Now it’s time to see how much you can cut using your scissors. If your hair is really short (you can’t hold a small clump in between your index and middle finger) you may skip this step and use the hair clipper directly.

Grab a few clumps of hair and see how much of it shows above your finger. That’s how much you can cut. Initially you may want to cut less than that (if you’re a beginner).

Just slide the finger until only the amount you want to cut is visible. Now use the scissors to cut it. Do this on the whole head and make sure you stop and look in the mirror after 1 or 2 cuts. If you see that something is not right, stop the process, find out what went wrong and fix it by cutting your hair a little shorter.

Hint: if this is your first or second time, it’s best if you trim your hair a little longer than you want. This way, if you make a blunder, you can fix it easily.

Make sure that, after each cut, the length of the hair is even. If it’s not, don’t let go of your clump until you even it.

Once you’re finished with the scissors, it’s time you use the clipper to trim the back of your neck, around the sideburns and behind the ear.

Using the electric clip

You need the electric clip regardless of whether you want a short or long hair style. if you’re going for short, you’re going to use it all over your head. If, however, you want a longer hair length, go back to the previous section about using scissors to trim it, then come back here to finish the extremities.

Once you have your clipper turned on, hold it with your right hand in front of you. Make sure you hold it upside-down, with your palm facing yourself. Simply start moving the clipper from the front to the back and you will see the hair fall off.

As with long hair, trim your short hair a little longer than you would normally want.This will allow you to fix any mistakes.

Start from one side of your head, then move to the top, then to the other side. It’s not hard at all.

I’ve been doing this for about 4 years and I can tell that once you do it for 3 or 4 times it becomes really easy, but I’m still being to slow, it gets me 1-2 hours depending of the length of my hair, but at the end I’m very satisfied, you guys should try, now I just look for the trends and a can get almost any hairstyle I want.

Could be more detailed but good for starters. I’ve been cutting my hair for almost a year now and I get the exact cut I want. It saves lots of money and I cut my friends’ hair, too now. You get an idea of it from watching videos and reading on how to do it but the only way you get experience is by doing it yourself. I’ve messed up my hair a few times (including shaving off half my eyebrow when I was tweaking the side by my line up). Worst case cinerio: you shave your head. But, it’s hair, it’ll grow back.
My personal tips:
Pay attention to other peoples’ haircuts that you like and notice the way theirs is shaped
Take frequent pauses and take a look at it; don’t get carried away
Don’t make the curve on the sides too sharp; always looks better round
If you make a mistake, try to play it off! (I once made one of my sideburns too short so I just did a skin taper)
Have the tools you need
Be confident and relax if you make a mistake, you’ll laugh about it one day
Good luck!